Culture Frontier Museum

Hey, since I posted last we have moved on to the Shenandoah Valley on the western boundary of Virginia. We came across interstate 64 and are parked in a campground named Stoney Creek in the mountains out from a small town named Greenville, Virginia. There is nothing there, but it's off of interstate 81 and near Staunton, Virginia. We visited the Frontier Culture Museum today in Staunton. It is very nicely done, but be prepared to walk, all of it is around a perimeter of a couple of miles and even though it called for rain, it was very hot in the sun. The first area was indicative of a 1700s West African Farm.  All of the areas walk you through how this part of Virginia was inhabitated as the various immigrants moved into the area.  They even went to England, Germany, and Ireland and bought homes built in the periods to depict how the early settlers lived back then.  They know that the early slaves were brought over from a particular area that is now Nigeria. You notice how low the doorways were in the huts. That was to keep the huts cool and they were.  The hut in front would have been the husband's hut and tbehut on the right behind his would have been his first wife's hut. The hut on the left would have been his second wife's hut.  Their area would have been surrounded short mud wall  with thatching to mark their property.

 
This area was set up to depict a early 1600 English settlers' home.
In each area their was an interpreter there dressed in the typical attire for that time period. Boy does it make me blessed to have been born in the 20th century.  These people had a hard life.  Most of them had many children to help them work their farm. The foundation actually went to England and bought the home and brought it back to set it up in this outdoor museum area.  It was almost two miles to walk around to view the various early immigrant settlements.  It also depicts how the different people from different parts of the world influenced the beginnings of Virginia.

This is a 1700s Irish forge brought over from Ireland to be used in this capacity. In this home their was a blacksmith creating ironwork that would be needed for these early settlers.

This was the Irishman's home. I was surprised how cool the homes were because it was terribly hot outside.

This was a 1700s German home. In one room the family had a spinning wheel and a loom set up because they produced linen.  On this farm there were pigs in a pen out front with chickens and turkeys around the yard. There was a huge barn in the back with a garden area and the well. This family would not have been considered wealthy. One of the interpreters stated that to show your wealth would be indicated by how closely the wall beams were built around the outside of the house. Youmay not be able to see, but the chimney was done ornately and this was done to declare a certain amount of wealth.  Also. inside the furnishings were not as  bear and they had tin or copper buckets.

All of the areas had gardens. They said most of the early settlers could only afford to eat vegetables. On this property there was also a schoolhouse.

This was the 1700 American homesite. The Culture Frontier Museum offered camps for children of different ages.  They were even dressed in the appropriate attire and they were doing the chores the children in this household would have to do on a daily basis. What a learning experience!

There was also a dairy barn with huge cows and they had moved a church included in this area.

A 1700s Indian who lived near this area lived in wigwams like these. I was surprised to see the tree bark thrown over the tops of the thatched roofs.  The thatched roofs were made with bent reeds and the doorways were short, not because theses people were short, but to help keep the heat out. Surprisingly, it was cool in the wigwams. Around the edges in the interior of the wigwams there were mud benches covered with animal hides. There was a white tail deer and two raccoons in one.  The Indians used the skins to trade the white man for guns and other various items that helped their way of life.